Supporting device for clothes-horses, &amp;c.



PATENTED NOV. 1, 1904. A. CROSSMAN & A'. V. MARTIN. SUPPORTING DEVICEFOR CLOTHES HORSES, &0.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 1903.

NO MODEL.

Zlz hwaew 0% 22/ (J re UNTTED STATES Patented November 1, 1904i.

PATENT EEicE.

SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR CLOTHES-HORSES, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,787, dated November1, 1904. Application filed November 9, 1903. Serial No. 180,379. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ABNER CRossMAN and ANsoN VERE MARTIN, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSupporting Devices for Clothes-Horses, &c.; and we do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettersofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel support for a clothes-horse, table,and the like, and refers more specifically to the novel construction ofsuch support, whereby the supporting'legs forming part thereof may befolded or closed in compact form when not in use upon or against thestandard of the clotheshorse, table, or the part to which they areattached.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Our invention is herein shown as applied to a clothes-horse of thatclass embracing a rotative head supported on a vertical standard andprovided with aplurality of hanging arms which are supported in suitableopenings in the head and which when not in use hang vertically aroundthe standard and are adapted to be drawn upwardly through said openingsto assume horizontal radial positions.

As shown in the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts brokenaway of a clotheshorse provided with a support or base made inaccordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary viewshowing the manner of connecting the legs with the standard. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 with parts omitted. Fig.4: is an enlarged sectiontaken on line 4 A of Fig. 1 with parts shown insection. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken on line 5 5 ofFig. 1.

As shown in said drawings, A designates the vertical post or standard ofthe clotheshorse, A a rotative head thereon, and B B a plurality ofhanging bars or arms which hang downwardly through openings at themargin of said head when not in use, around the standard A, and areadapted to be pulled upwardly and radially from said head to assumehorizontal positions, as shown at the right hand of Fig. 1. The mannerof constructing the head and attaching the arms thereto and the head tothe standard constitutes no part of the present invention and need notbe further described. It will be furthermore observed that the standardA may constitute the standard of a table or other article.

C C designate a plurality of supportinglegs which are loosely connectedat their upper ends with the standard and diverge downwardly andoutwardlywhen open to support the article of which the standardAconstitutes a part and are adapted to be closed or folded upon thestandarchas indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, when the article is notin use. As herein shown, three legs are employed and constitute atripod-support; but more than three legs may be used when preferred orrequired.

Referring now to the devices for loosely connecting the legs with thestandard and the construction whereby said legs are held rigidly intheir open position and whereby they are permitted to close or fold uponthe standard, said parts are made as follows:

I) designates a ring or sleeve, preferably madeof cast metal, whichsurrounds the lower end of the standard A and is adapted to slidevertically thereon. Said ring is held non-rotative on the standard, anda convenient way to accomplish this is to provide the ring with a radiallug (Z, Fig. 4:, to engage a longitudinal groove a of the standard A.The ring is provided with a number of radial arms D equal to the numberof legs C, (three being shown in the present instance) which areapertured or made of looped form to provide vertical openings cl,adapted to receive the upper ends of said legs C. Said arms are providedat the outer sides of said openings (Z with radially inwardly extendinglugs (P, which are adapted when the legs are seated in said openings toengage outwardly-opening notches c in the outer side faces at the upperend of said legs C, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Theconstruction described constitutes a loose or hinged connection betweenthe legs and ring D, and said parts are so fitted as to permit the legsto assume their inclined or open positions or to be folded against thestandard when closed in positions generally parallel with the standard.

The legs are held rigidly in their open position by means of guide-armsE E, located below the ring D and provided with openings through whichthe legs extend. Said arms are attached to or formed integral with asocket-piece D, which fits upon the lower end of the standard A. Saidsocket-piece and arms are herein shown as made of a single casting, butmay be otherwise made. The socket-piece is attached to the standard bymeans of a screw (2, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) which extendsupwardly therethrough and into the lower end of the standard, and thesocket-piece is held non-rotative on the standard by means of a radiallug e thereon, which engages the groove (4 of the standard. The openingsin the said guide-arms E are outwardly and downwardly inclined, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3, and the legs C fit somewhat loosely in said openingsto permit the necessary movement of the legs with respect to saidguide-arms when the legs are being opened and closed.

The ring D, to which the legs are loosely connected at their upper ends,rests against the socket-piece when the legs are open, as more clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 2, said socket-piece constituting a stop whicharrests the downward movement of said ring D. By reason of the fact thatsaid ring D and the socket-piece are held n on-rotative on the standardand the further fact that the legs are engaged by said guide-arms Ebelow said ring the legs are held firmly in their open positions andprevented from twisting and racking with respect to the standard, so asto constitute a substantial support for the article of which thestandard performs a part. Furthermore, by reason of the inclination ofthe legs to the standard the ring D is prevented from sliding upwardlyon the standard when weight is brought thereon in a manner to collapseor close the support.

hen the legs of the support are to be closed or folded, the ring D isslid upwardly on the standard A, thereby drawing thelegs through theguide-arms until they reach the positions shown in dotted lines inFig. 1. A stop is provided which arrests the upward movement of the ringD before the lower ends of the legs are drawn out of the openings in theguide-arms. A convenient form of stop is the pin or nail (1, (shown inFigs. 1' and 5,) which is inserted into an opening in the bottom of thegroove (0 and against which the upper margin of the ring D strikes. Itwill be observed that the longitudinal external groove of the standardextends throughout its length, and this is done for the reason that thegroove may be formed in a cylindric bar of sufiicient length from whichto form a number of standards or posts, said bar being thereafter cutinto the lengths desired. This not only facilitates the manufacture ofthe standards, but cheapens their cost. If the stop is to be located inthe groove therefor, it is necessary that it be a part, such as the pina, which is inserted into said groove, and this is a convenient andpreferred location of the stop, inasmuch as it avoids having apart forthis purpose which projects from the standard. In order to hold theparts in their closed position, a spring-latch a Fig. 5, may beprovided, which is seated in a notch in the bottom of the groove (0,said latch having the general form of an umbrella-latch. The ring may,however, it sufficiently close upon the standard to prevent the legssliding down by their own weight from their closed position, in whichevent latch a or its equivalent device may be omitted.

In assembling the parts the legs are first inserted with their upperends into the openings of the arms D of the sleeve D, with the lugs (Zof said arms engaging the notches act the legs. Thereafter while thelegs hang vertically from the ring D the ring is slipped upon the lowerend of the standard A and moved to the position shown by dotted lines inFig. 1. The soeketed base-piece and guidearms are then fitted in place,the apertured arms E thereof being slipped over the lower ends of thelegs.

\Vhile the constructions of the several parts shown are preferredconstructions, it is to be observed that changes in the structuraldetails may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention,and we do not wish to be limited to the specific details excepting ashereinaftermade the subject of specific claims.

The provision of the ring D, having the in tegral radially-extendinglugs (Z in the openings of the arms thereof, is of considerablepractical advantage, for the reason that it avoids the necessity forproviding and mounting in said ring pivot-pins or like devices by whichthe legs may be loosely connected with the ring. This construction notonly shortens the time necessary to assemble the device as compared withthe construction last mentioned, but also greatly lessens the cost ofits production and, furthermore, avoids the liability of the partsbecoming loosened or detached by reason of improper or careless usethereof. It will be noted that with the construction described of thering D, to which the legs are loosely connected, and the guides E suchparts are assembled and fastened in place with the use of but a singlescrew, said screw being employed to fasten the guides in place, as shownin Fig. 2.

WVe claim as our invention 1. The combination with a vertical standard,of a support therefor, comprising a ring which surrounds and has slidingengagement with the standard, legs loosely connected at their upper endsto said ring, guide-arms affixed to the standard below said ring andhaving openings through which said legs slide, said standard beingprovided with an external, longitudinal groove and said ring having alug which engages said groove, and a stop located in said groove againstwhich the lug strikes to limit the upward movement of said ring.

2. The combination with a vertical standard, of a support thereforcomprising a ring which surrounds and has sliding, non-rotativeengagement with the standard, and provided with vertical openings,integral lugs projecting into said openings, legs-fitted at their upperends in said openings, and provided in their outer faces with notchesadapted to receive said lugs, and guides for said legs affixed to thestandard below said ring.

3. The combination with a vertical standard, of a support thereforcomprising a'ring surrounding and having sliding, non-rotativeengagement with the standard, and provided with openings and withintegral lugs extending radially into said openings from the outer sidesthereof, legs provided at the outer faces of their upper ends withnotches and which are inserted at their upper ends in said openings withsaid lugs fitted into the notches therein, said legs bearing at theirupper ends, when in their open positions, against said standard, andguides for said legs below said ring.

4:. The combination with a vertical standard, of a support thereforcomprising a ring which surrounds and has sliding engagement with thestandard, said standard being provided with an exterior longitudinalgroove, and the ring with an interior radial lug adapted to engage andslide in said groove, said ring being provided with a plurality of ra:dial arms having vertical openings and the arms being provided at theirouter ends with integral lugs which extend radially into said openings,legs fitting at their upper ends in said openings of the arms andprovided in their outer faces with notches within which said lugs fit,said legs being adapted to engage, when in their open positions, thestandard above said lugs and a guide attached to the standard below saidring and provided with a plurality of openings through which said legsslide.

5. In a support for the purpose set forth, the combination with thestandard A, of the ring D slidable thereon, and having the arms Dprovided therein with the openings cl and the lugs (Z2 and the legs Cprovided with the sockets 0 engaged by said lugs (Z 6. The combinationwith a vertical standard provided with an exterior, longitudinal grooveextending from end to end thereof, of a ring which has slidingengagement with the standard, and is provided with an internal, radiallug adapted to engage and slide in said groove, legs loosely connectedat their upper ends with said ring, and a guide affixed to the standardbelow said ring and provided with openings through which said legsslide.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we affix oursignatures, in presence of two witnesses, this 23d day of October, A. D.1903. 1

ABNER OROSSMAN. ANSON VERE MARTIN. Witnesses;

WILLIAM L. HALL, GEORGE R. WILKINS.

